David Hooks was shot at least twice while lying face down during a drug raid on his home.[1] Mitchell Shook, an attorney representing the family, said that “One was to the side of the head, the other, was in his back, the back of his left shoulder, based on the evidence we see, we believe that David Hooks was face down on the ground when he received those last two shots.”[2] He was the 34th person to die during domestic drug enforcement operations this year.[3]
David was holding a shotgun when the police broke into his home.[4] He had grabbed his gun after his wife had alerted him to some strangers in a dark vehicle pulling into the driveway.[5] The raid was based upon the word of a burglar who had stolen Hooks’ vehicle two nights prior and claimed to have found meth.[6] David and his wife Teresa thought the burglars were back. Police claimed that they were familiar with the house as in 2009, an unnamed person claimed he had sold meth to David.[7] Nothing ever happened with that investigation, but the vague tip made it into the warrant application.[8]
The search warrant issued did not allow for a no-knock raid on the house, but the Laurens County SWAT team did not knock-and-announce, but broke down the back door.[9] Even without a no-knock warrant, police can decide not to follow the warrant’s requirements if they feel that it is necessary under the circumstances.[10] As this is usually based on the vague “training and years of experience” it is usually hard to refute in court, effectively making all warrants potential no-knocks without recourse.
Despite searching the home for 44 hours, no drugs were found.[11] As usual the police are refusing to give any information: “Laurens County Sheriff Bill Harrell indicated last week his department would not be releasing any information beyond the initial news release.[12]
When killer cops are allowed to run rampant over the population with no accountability it can only be assumed that the state is implicitly condoning these actions.
Sources under the cut.
[1] Paula Rotondo, 13WMAZ, Attorney: Hooks shot in the back and head during raid; http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/dublin/2014/12/10/david-hooks-shot-twice-in-back/20213383/
[2] Id.
[3] Radley Balko, Washington Post, Meet 59-year-old David Hooks, the latest drug raid fatality; http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/10/06/meet-59-year-old-david-hooks-the-latest-drug-raid-fatality/
[4] Id.
[5] Rotondo, supra note 1.
[6] Balkto, supra note 3.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] While We Slept, Paramilitary Police Forces in the US; http://whileweslept.net/2014/06/24/paramilitary-forces-in-the-us/
[11] Balko, supra note 3.
[12] Id.
While We Slept 
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